When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Info needed - is this a Diamant Pista?

-
Nice find! I am not very familiar with the German Diamant brand, and I am not really into fixies either, as you may have already guessed. But I do like the purposeful look of vintage track bikes and especially the stories that come with them.

What does it say on the bottom bracket shell? The seems to quite some text. A name, perhaps?

There is a German website dedicated to Diamant, which has a page on (all?) their track models. You might be able to recognize some of the details if your bike is indeed a German Diamant.

There is a German classic bike forum that might be worth a visit: Rennmaschinen bis 1990. One of their members, "martl", also regularly posts on Bikeforums C&V. He may be able to point you in the right direction.
1630234


Very interesting - I can now make out "BRITISH MADE" script, a serial number above it that looks like maybe "H 57130" and another stamping in the middle maybe "CB VSTAN" - assuming British Made this isn't a Diamant now?

Any further ideas here? I also looked at the German track bikes and this doesn't look like them, fork crowns and lugs are all very different

Thanks all!
 
Couple more pics of the decals. The seat tube decal was added by wife and incorrect as Schwinn, but a kinda close match to the other tri color decals. Are those other tri color decals original? Now that I've discovered the bottom bracket is stamped British Made, thanks
1630237

1630239
 
-----

frameset -

everything suggests a pre-1960's birth date; combination of:

integral headset

lubrication fitting on bottom bracket shell

lug pattern

---

the web site linked by non-fixie above has a gallery for a German Diamant track machine dated 1955


nothing matches subject machine: different lugs, crown, seat stay treatment and a non-integral headset

---

thank you for the additional images

a British produced shell does not necessarily indicate a British produced frame

possible frame bits may be from Davis, Haden or Brampton, for example

sometimes there is a marking on the underside of the crown as seen on an EKLA here -

1630265


---

if the integral headset exhibits floating u-races with 1/8" balls that would be suggestive of a Brampton product

---

British frame bits can occasionally indicate a frame produced in another British linked nation such as Canada, Australia, United States, Union of South Africa

-----
 
-----

frameset -

everything suggests a pre-1960's birth date; combination of:

integral headset

lubrication fitting on bottom bracket shell

lug pattern

---

the web site linked by non-fixie above has a gallery for a German Diamant track machine dated 1955


nothing matches subject machine: different lugs, crown, seat stay treatment and a non-integral headset

---

thank you for the additional images

a British produced shell does not necessarily indicate a British produced frame

possible frame bits may be from Davis, Haden or Brampton, for example

sometimes there is a marking on the underside of the crown as seen on an EKLA here -

View attachment 1630265

---

if the integral headset exhibits floating u-races with 1/8" balls that would be suggestive of a Brampton product

---

British frame bits can occasionally indicate a frame produced in another British linked nation such as Canada, Australia, United States, Union of South Africa

-----
thanks much for the advice on the BB, makes sense. There are no markings on the fork crown, top or bottom. I believe the headset has loose balls only, no races
 
-----

here is the best image i have been able to locate illustrating a Brampton integral headset with floating u-races (u-races are not retainers)

1630278


the locknut on the cycle's headset is clearly a British product, of course it may not be original to the machine...

---

pattern of lugs and shell resemble the Brampton pattern called "Hawk"

-----
 
-----

if you have investigated the Diamant marque you quickly learned that there are two unrelated

one is Dutch and one is German

because of the lug pattern employed here and the tricolour bands around the tubes in the German national colours would suspect the cycle to be the Diamant from that land

the roller bearing bottom bracket assembly is quite something. these are of very high quality and rare in my experience. produced in versions for use in both cottered and cotterless chainsets. mfr catalogue illustration of the cotterless edition -

View attachment 1630104


the headset appears to be integral. integrals were disappearing by the 1960's so the frame may be somewhat earlier & appears so.

the machine's Stronglight chainset appears to be a model termed the Nr. 54 -

View attachment 1630112

pedals are Lyotard model Marcel Berthet M23 -

View attachment 1630111

you will be able to retrieve a date from the axle locknuts of the machine's Campag hubs -

View attachment 1630108

forum member @non-fixie is very knowledgeable as to cycles from the low countries and will be able to give you more and better information. have sent him a message regarding the machine.

-----
 
-----

minor note on shell width -

was at first slightly surprised by the sixty-six mm figure

then a wee switch in that which passeth for me "braine" clicked over

there must have been gazillions of Brit produced shells which are nominally sixty-eight mm which are in actuality sixty-six and one half

have long assumed that this is because it is a fractionally convenient dimension

the machine's shell likely began life at sixty-six and one half and became sixty-six following facing

"a feller's got watch them tricky Avalonians ever' minute!"

now that we seem to have established that frameset is of likely Anglophone origin we should be eligible for some sage counsel from none other than member @dnc1

have also sent a message to the most illustrious member @MauriceMoss


-----
 
-----

here is the best image i have been able to locate illustrating a Brampton integral headset with floating u-races (u-races are not retainers)

View attachment 1630278

the locknut on the cycle's headset is clearly a British product, of course it may not be original to the machine...

---

pattern of lugs and shell resemble the Brampton pattern called "Hawk"

-----
One of the floating races like above is stamped Brampton!
 
With your assistance and some from the great guys at Bike Forums, I've confirmed this is a Wastyn track bike. I got great news from Scott Wastyn after sending him a bunch of pics. He's 4th generation and still building bikes in Chicago. Oscar Wastyn built the first Paramounts for Schwinn.

From Scott - I would definitely lean towards a Wastyn built , serial numbers that we used had no specific meaning. If you wanted your birthday, that was the serial number, you chose what the serial number was. Looks like a good find.

I've asked him to estimate the age of the frame, stay tuned, but I"m stoked!
 
Back
Top